Electric cord holder



Aug. 4, 1942- G. E. LOFGREN ELECTRIC CORD HOLDER Filed NOV. 28, 1939 414/.ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 4, 1942 ELECTRIC CORD HOLDER Gustaf Elnar Lol'gren, Riverside, Conn, assignor to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 28, 1939, Serial No. 306,449

2 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved device for holding an electric cord, and is particularly well suited for retaining the cord in place when the latter is wound in the form of a loop.

Many electrical appliances have hooks or other means around which the cord may be wound when not in use. Usually, one end of the cord is secured to the appliance, while the other end is loose, with the result that the cord is apt to come unwound. In accordance with my invention, I provide a simple holding member which is adapted to secure the free end of the cord to either another turn of the loop or to a convenient part of the appliance. The holding device, in accordance with my invention, is also adapted to secure the two ends of a cord together when the cord .has been coiled up without having been placed on supporting hooks or the like.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing. which forms a part of this specification, and of which Fig. 1 is a side view of a holder, in accordance with my invention, as applied to a vacuum cleaner;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the holder shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the holder;

Fig. 5 is a front view of another embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a top view of the device shown in Figs. 5 and 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view showing a holder, in accordance with my invention, employed to hold together opposite ends of a loosely coiled cord.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, reference character Ill designates generally a vacuum cleaner which includes a casing provided with a runner on each side II for supporting the casing on the surface. As shown, the runner comprises a substantially straight portion [2, which con tacts the floor, and hook-shaped end portions l3 and It, which connect the straight portion to the casing.

As is well known, an electric motor is mounted within the casing, and a flexible electric cord I5 is provided for supplying current to the motor. One end of the cord is secured to the vacuum cleaner, either permanently or removably, as by the plug I6, which engages a receptacle car- 55 ried by the casing. The opposite end of the cord is Provided with a plug H, which is adapted to be received in a wall outlet when the vacuum cleaner is in use.

When the vacuum cleaner is not being used, the cord may be conveniently stored by winding it around the hook-shaped portions l3 and II of one of the runners ll. One end of the cord is secured in place by means of the plug it, while the other end of the cord is secured by means 01' a holding device 3, constructed in accordance with my invention.

One embodiment of the device I8 is shown in detail in Figs. 2 through 4. It includes a block having an aperture l9, through which the electric cord l5 extends. The block is also provided with another aperture 20 defined by arms 22 and 23. This aperture is not completely closed, but is open to the exterior of the block by means of a slot 2| between the arms, having a width which is less than the diameter of the aperture 20. The block 18 is preferably made of resilient material, such as rubber, although this is not absolutely necessary. If desired, the portion of the block surrounding the aperture is may be rigid, while the arms are resilient.

The cord I5 is passed through the aperture l9 before either or both of the plugs l6 and I! are secured to the ends of the cord. After the plugs have been secured in place, the block I 8 cannot be removed from the cord and, consequently, there is no possibility of its becoming lost.

In use, after the cord has been coiled around the runner i2, one turn of the cord is forced through the slot 2| into the aperture 20, where it is retained due to the fact that the width of the slot is less than the diameter of the aperture. Inasmuch as the cord l5 includes an insulating covering of rubber or other resilient material, it may be squeezed through the slot 2|, even though the block 18 is made of rigid material. However, it is desirable that the block l8, or at least the arms 22 and 23, be made of resilient material, in order that the arms may be spread to enlarge the slot 2! when the cord passes therethrough. This eliminates undue pinching of the cord, which, if it occurred repeatedly at the same place on the cord, might eventually damage the insulation.

In Fig. 8 there is shown the holder l8 used to secure together the opposite ends of the cord when the latter is wound into a. loose coil. With the ends secured together in this manner, the cord is much less apt to come unwound than if the ends were free.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 through cord after the plugs have been connected to both ends of the cord. In this embodiment, the plug Ila is made of resilient material and is provided with apertures "a and 20. A slot 2|, formed between arms 25 and 28, connects the aperture Ila to the exterior of the block. The arms 28 and 26 are formed with a groove which is adapted to receive a metal ring 21, which serves to hold the arms together.

In order to secure the block Ila to a cord. arms 25 and 26 are spread sumciently to permit the cord to pass through the slot 24 into the aperture "a. Thereafter, the arms 25 and 26 are squeezed together sumciently to permit the ring 21 to be passed over the ends of the arms and into the groove. When the arms spring back to their normal position, the ring 21 is thus held in place and prevents further spreading of the arms. Consequently, the cord is permanently retained within the aperture I On.

The holder Ila, in accordance with this embodiment, is used in the same manner as the holder l8, shown in Figs. 2 through 4, and, consequentiv, the description of its operation need not be repeated.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a cord on a vacuum cleaner, it is obvious that it could be applied to an electric cord for any appliance. Moreover, instead of having the aperture 20 engage a turn of the coiled cord, this aperture could as well engage any convenient portion of the appliance having a suitable size. For example, the aperture 20 could engage any portion of the runner II illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the foregoing embodiments have been illustrated and described by way of example only and are not intended to constitute a limitation of the" scope of my invention,

' "l, is so constructed that it may be secured to a which is to be determined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A cord holder including a block of resilient material having an aperture through a portion thereof for permanently receiving a cord, said portion including a pair of arms defining a slot extending from said aperture to the exterior of the block, a removable member bridging the free ends of said arms for limiting the width of said slot and preventing passage of the cord therethrough, and a second pair of arms extending from said portion and defining an aperture opening to the exterior of the block through a slot, the diameter of the second-mentioned aperture being substantially the same as the diameter of the cord, the width of the last-mentioned slot being less than the diameters of either the cord or said second-mentioned aperture, said secondmentioned arms being deformable to increase the width of the slot therebetweer to an amount equalling the diameter of the cord.

2. A cord holder including a block having an aperture through a portion thereof of substantially the diameter of the cord for permanently receiving the cord, and a pair of resilient arms extending from said portion and defining a second aperture having an opening or passage to the exterior of the block through a slot, the diameter of the second mentioned aperture being substantially the same as the diameter of the cord, the slot being provided with walls diverging outwardly and having a minimum width substantially less than the diameter of the cord. said resilient arms being deformable outwardly to increase the width of said slot to an amount equalling the diameter of the cord.

GUSTAF EINAR LOFGREN. 

